Ohio sheriff pleads guilty to drug charges, theft in office

AP

FREMONT, Ohio (AP) — A jailed sheriff accused of stealing prescription drugs and deceiving doctors into giving him painkillers pleaded guilty on Tuesday and will be stripped of his badge.

Sandusky County Sheriff Kyle Overmyer pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts, including theft in office and altering records. He faces a maximum of just over 14 years in prison when he’s sentenced next month. He also could receive probation, but he no longer can have a law enforcement certificate or carry a gun.

Overmyer, 42, agreed to a plea deal after denying the charges for months and saying the investigation against him was politically motivated. He did not speak during the hearing or when he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

A special prosecutor in August accused the two-term sheriff of stealing medications from drug disposal boxes and misusing office funds.

Overmyer was suspended but kept his title. He later was jailed after a judge decided he had violated terms of his bond, and then he lost his re-election bid this month.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation began investigating the sheriff nearly a year ago. The probe started after police chiefs in the county said it was odd that he had been collecting prescription pills from drop boxes.